All Ley 14/2013 statuses
Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur residency
in Spain

Starting, growing or leading an innovative business project? The defining feature of this status is a mandatory favourable ENISA report.

3 yearsinitial permit
2 yearsrenewal, if conditions still hold
5 yearsuntil eligible for long-term residence (art. 69.1)

The make-or-break step: the ENISA report

Of all the statuses in the "International mobility" section, only entrepreneur has a mandatory third-party sign-off.

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Art. 70.1, Ley 14/2013 — without a favourable ENISA report, the application doesn't go through.

The project is assessed by the Empresa Nacional de Innovación (ENISA) — a public body that checks whether the business project is genuinely innovative and adds value to the Spanish economy, innovation or investment opportunities.

The review period is 10 business days (art. 70.1). It's not a formality or the final step of the application, but a separate stage worth planning for early and preparing apart from the rest of your file.

Financial requirement: sufficient resources

For the international remote worker route the threshold is tied to the minimum wage (SMI) by instruction. For entrepreneur, the law (art. 62.3.f Ley 14/2013) requires proof of «sufficient resources» for you and your family, without fixing a percentage.

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We haven't found an official numeric threshold for entrepreneur in the UGE's public sources, so we don't quote figures. The UGE assesses whether your means are sufficient based on your business plan and family size; before filing, we check the current criteria for your case.

One single procedure through the UGE

Like the other statuses in this section, entrepreneur doesn't require proving there's no suitable candidate on the Spanish labour market (DA 5ª, Ley 14/2013) — DA 5ª.1 extends to all authorisations in this section of the law. The application goes through the single Unidad de Grandes Empresas y Colectivos Estratégicos (UGE) and is valid across all of Spain.

The ENISA report: what is assessed

The entrepreneur status is granted for an activity that is innovative and/or of special economic interest for Spain. This is confirmed by a favourable ENISA report (art. 70.1, Ley 14/2013).

Assessment

What is assessed

  • Profile and involvement: the applicant's professional profile and involvement in the project. If there are several partners, the participation of each one is assessed, both those who apply for a visa or permit and those who do not need one (art. 70.2.a).
  • Business plan: a description of the project, the product or service and its financing, including the investment required and possible sources of funding (art. 70.2.b).
  • Value for Spain: the elements that add value for the Spanish economy, innovation or investment opportunities (art. 70.2.c).
Process

How the report works

  • Who requests it: you file the application with the UGE, and the UGE itself requests the report from ENISA (art. 70.1).
  • Timeline: the report is mandatory and is issued within 10 business days (art. 70.1).
  • Numbers: art. 70 sets no numerical thresholds, such as a minimum investment amount. The elements listed above are taken into account (art. 70.2).

First application: from Spain and from abroad

The entrepreneur permit application is filed by the applicant or their legal representative (representante legal), electronically with the UGE (art. 69.1, Ley 14/2013). The procedure depends on where you are.

In Spain

You are already in Spain

  • Who can apply: someone who already holds a stay or residence authorization or a visa and wants to start, develop or lead an economic activity as an entrepreneur. You cannot be in Spain irregularly (arts. 69.1 and 62.3.a).
  • While you wait for the decision: your current stay or residence continues until the decision (art. 76.1).
From abroad

You are outside Spain

  • One application: the permit and the visa are requested in a single application and processed one after the other: first the permit, then the visa (art. 69.1).
  • Visa: once the permit is granted, you apply for the corresponding residence visa (art. 70.1). The consulate decides within 10 business days, except where a mandatory consultation under the EU Visa Code applies. The visa is valid for one year or for the permit's duration, if shorter (arts. 75.4 and 75.5).

What you need to prove. The general requirements of art. 62 (including no criminal record, health insurance, sufficient financial resources and payment of the fee), the legal requirements to start the activity under the relevant sector rules (art. 69.2), and a favourable ENISA report (art. 70.1).

Timeline and outcome. The UGE decides within 20 working days of the electronic filing (art. 76.1 of Ley 14/2013 says “20 days”; we treat them as working days under art. 30.2 of Ley 39/2015, which is our conclusion). If there is no decision within that time, the permit is treated as granted. If it is valid for more than 6 months, you must apply for the foreigner's identity card (TIE) (arts. 76.1 and 76.2).

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The law contains no list of documents. What the UGE asks for depends on the case, and we confirm the list before filing.

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